The Third Victim of the Prophecy: A New Age
by HungerGames6
Summary: How many kids tried to solve the Great Prophecy? Percy couldn't have been the first. Listen to Cecelia Robinson as the Great prophecy leads her to the true identity of her mother, her father's wrath, and some new friends. *I suck at summaries...*
1. What Just Happened?

"Cecelia?"

I look up from my paper. Ms. Amina is staring at me. She's our substitute while Ms. Jay is on maternity leave. "Yes, Ms. Amina?" I ask. She waves me up to her desk.

"Let's take a walk, shall we?" I nod and she leads me out of the classroom, telling the rest of the class to continue working. We walk silently down the empty hallway to the front door of the school. Ms. Amina opens the door and gestures for me to step outside. Why is she doing this? Am I in trouble?"

"Ms. Amina, if this is about that essay I didn't finish, I'm really sorry." I'm not exactly sure what essay I'm apologizing for. I haven't done almost any of the assignments this year. "I'm ADHD something _fierce_, and-" no, I should reword that. My friends and I say 'something _fierce_' whenver we're describing something. "I mean-"

She laughs. "No, I'm not talking about an assignment. I just needed to talk to you. Your mother told me you got a call from your father yesterday?"

I nod slowly. He called my cell phone, and I have no idea how he got my number. He just asked me how school was and about my friends and stuff, like it was totally normal. Like he hadn't left my mother as soon as she found out she was pregnant. He also said he wanted to meet me. I hung up on him.

"You're eleven, right?" I nod. "Well, I just wanted to talk to you. You're special, you know? A little more special then nessacary." She flares her nostrils a few times. Um, okay, this is weird. I just keep nodding and backing towards the door. She grabs my shoulder. "Stay after school with me today, hm? Just take the late bus." Then she just walks inside like nothing just happened.

What _did_ just happen?

**Yeah, this is short, but I, personally, think it's a good beginning :) Please review, and give me some ideas for the next chapter! I'll probably update nonstop as soon as I get start on the drama- cliff hanger stuff. REVIEW!**


	2. After School

I watch as my classmates file outside, heading home. Ms. Amina smiles at me from her desk, then waves me over. I stand in front of the desk, fiddling with sticky notes.

"Your scent is powerful," she mumbles.

"_What_?" I ask, extremely confused. "I smell bad? Aw, man." I smell my shirt and my hair. Nothing unusual.

"I need you to talk to your mother- tell her it's time. Tell her you need to go soon. You can't wait as long as the rest, and summer vacation would be your best bet. She'll know exactly what you mean, and she'll be better at explaining then me." She hands me an envelope. "Go, now. Tell her Brenden will need help, as well. Mind as well bring him, if you're going." I nod like I understand.

"Goodbye, Ms. Amina," I mumble, exiting the classroom. My house is only three miles from the school, and I don't feel like waiting for the late bus. I walk home in about twenty-five minutes, then find my mother and father in their bedroom watching TV. "Mom, Ms. Amina wanted me to give you this."

Her face instantly becomes alarmed, and my father rubs her arm soothingly. "She also said I smell bad and summer vacation would be our best bet. Oh, and something about Brenden needing help, too." I raise an eyebrow. "Does any of that make sense to you?"

She nods slowly. "Yes, sweetie. Thank you. Daddy's going to talk to you in the hallway while I read the letter. Mkay?"

"Kay," I mutter. My dad leads me into the hall and closes the door, but not before sending my mother a meaningful look. "What is it?"

"I'm not your real father, as you know," he says flatly. "That letter is about your real father, and who he is, and who your mother is. Her name isn't really Terrie. Are you following?" I nod. I'm pretty sure I'm in shock. "Her real name is something she won't even tell me. I... I have my suspicions. Of course, I know your father's name. He left long ago."

Oh. My. God. Can my day get any weirder? Apparently, it can.

My mother jumps out of her room. "We need to go get Brenden. Now. Get in the car. C'mon!"

My father and I jump in the car, closely followed by my mom. "What's your name?" I blurt. I'm a bit ADHD, if you couldn't tell.

She smiles wryly. "Nemisis."

**Review please! I don't know if this is good or not... :P Yeah... So... REVIEW!**


	3. Hello, Hellhounds

Isn't Nemisis the name of a minor Greek goddess? We just did ancient Greece in class with Ms. Amina. "Brenden's house is right there," I tell her.

"I know."

"How?" I blurt. She shrugs and grins at me in the rearview mirror.

"When you're a goddess, you know things. Your father would be proud." She smiles sadly and gets out of the car. I see her talk to Brenden's mother for a few minutes, then she sends him running outside into the back seat.

"My mom's a goddess," I inform him. He nods like this is entirely normal, and we start driving along in the car. "Where are we going?"

Her eyes sparkle as she looks back at me in the mirror. "Long Island Sound."

We live New York. I honestly have no idea where Long Island is, or how long the trip will take. I just know that I'm suddenly really tired. I slump against the door and let my eyes close.

When Brendan shakes me a little while later, I open my eyes and see a strawberry patch. Suddenly, a whole rush of information flies back into my head. Nemisis, the goddess of revenge. Poseidon, god of the seas. Zeus, lord of the skies. Artemis, goddess of childbirth and the Hunt.

I smile as I hear one of my favorite songs come on the radio, but my mom looks terribly frightened. I notice that she's wearing different clothes from when we first got in the car. Earlier she was in jeans, a blue tank-top, and flip-flops. Now she's in a red corset-type thing, baggy red pants, and long black boots. Her hair is done up in an intricate braid.

It doesn't shock me. I've always expected something weird to happen to me in my life. My mom's a goddess. Cool. My dad's not my real father. Can't say I didn't expect it.

As she rushes me and Brenden from the car to a huge line of trees, I wonder briefly what we're doing here. Then I see them, and I know instantly what they are. Ms. Amina didn't only teach us about Gods and Goddesses. She also tought us about the ancient Greek 'monsters,' which apparently aren't so ancient.

Because I'm pretty sure those are Hellhounds blocking the entrance to whatever lies behind the trees.

**Hey! Hope this chapter was good. To be honest, I have no idea what's going to happen next. I didn't get any reviews last chapter! That makes me one sad Demigod. SO REVIEW! Shmanks :)**


	4. CrAzY!

Brenden grabs my arm and drags me toward the trees. My mom is trying to do the same to my 'dad,' but he won't budge. The Hellhounds are approaching him. "Dad!" I scream. "Dad! Run!"

I try to escape from Brenden, but he's, like, _Hercules_ strong. He throws me, literally _throws_ me into the bushes, but the entire time I'm screaming for my fake dad to get away from the Hellhounds. I hear vicious growls and my mother yelling for someone named Chiron, which sounds like the centaur teacher I read about, but none of it makes sense. I stand in the bushes to clear my head, but everything is still a jumble.

"STOP!" I command. I don't really yell it, more like declare it, but everything freezes. Not literally, but the Hellhounds back off, Brendan pulls my father away, and my mother winks at me. The Hellhounds back into the dark shadows of the tall Evergreens, seeming to disappear right into them.

I laugh. "I'm not going crazy, right? I mean, like, those are people in costumes." I point to my father. "That's fake blood." I point to Brenden. "You're on steroids. That's the only explanation. Nemisis is a myth. God knows I wish she were real, god knows I wish you were her, but it's not _right_. You. Are. All. CRAZY!" I laugh phsycotically as I stride through the trees. "And there's gonna be, like, a centaur back here, and he's going to be eating dinner with a god!" I snort, then hear someone coughing behind me.

It's an old pudgy man, walking next to a guy in a wheelchair. The pudgy man looks drunk, and he's wearing running shoes and a cheetah-print shirt. He flares his nostrils and takes a step towards me. "What do you have against _gods, _girl?"

**Hey! Please review/ I havn't updated in so long because I only got ONE REVIEW! I appreciate it :) Sorry the chapter is so short, I just thought that would be a good place to stop. If you read this while listening to I'll make a man out of you from Mulan, it makes it SUPER dramatic. Lol. Can anyone guess who Cecelia's father is?**


	5. Making Friends

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Drunk, that shirt, the bags under your eyes that are almost as dark as mine..." I cock my head to the side and step forward. "Dionysus, correct? Yes, Zeus's child," I say distastfully. "You know, if this was real." I giggle and walk forward until I'm right in his face. "_Crazy_," I whisper.

Brenden comes through the bushes, my father slung over his shoulder. "Oh, god, Cecelia! Stay out of trouble for five minutes! Zeus's Mother! You just got here!"

'Dionysus' narrows his eyes at me, but speaks in a steady voice to Brenden. "I don't appreciate you speaking of Rhea like that, _satyr,_" he sneers. "Parents?"

"Mother is Nemisis," Brenden reports. "Father unknown. At least to us. The mother is gone, and I suspect she'll take the fake as soon as he's conscious." He looks at me apologetically. "Come with me, trouble maker. You're in Hermes."

"Thought I was a Nemisis delinquent?" I say, rolling my eyes. I'm pretty convinced I'm, like, being Punk'D. The dense trees behind the beautifully strange cabins look strangely suspicious, like more Hellhounds are waiting for e inside. "Hey, Brendan," I whisper.

"Yeah?"

I tug on his shirt like a five-year old and point to the dark, looming trees. "Can I go in there? Ple-e-ease! I'll listen to everything you say and won't call anyone crazy and please!" I look at him, my eyes wide, my bottom lip jutting out, and he rolls his pretty aqua eyes.

"Yeah, whatever." I hug him and bolt of into the woods, hearing his slow trot behind me.

After about ten minutes of exploring, long after Brenden had rejoined me, I hear a blood-curdling scream. "Hello?" I shout. "Where are you? Are you okay?" I hear the scream again and take off running, dodging huge boulders and what might be snakes, leaving Brenden in the dust.

Finally, I come across a large figure lying in the tall dark grass, whimpering. I lean down and turn it over, revealing a red-headed girl, heavily muscled, with her eyes closed. "You okay?" I ask. Suddenly, her eyes snap open, revealing a decieving dark brown with small hints of red. She chuckles.

"Idiot. God, new campers are gullible. First rule of Camp Half-Blood; every man for himself." She rolls her eyes and her friends join her from the thick green brush behind me. "What's your name, twirp?" She walks in a circle around me, inspecting me. Seeing if I'm good enough. "Parents? Dionysus, or a minor god, right? Hestia? Gods know it's not Zeus!" She snorts, and a thick bolt of lightning smokes the tree next to her. "Sorry!" She yells.

"Creepy," I inform her. "Well, I'm not telling you my name, and I don;t need yours, 'cause I'll just call you retard. Sound good?" I smile sweetly. She grabs my wrist. "I don't care who your parents are, because they don't define you. And," I say, shaking off her grip with ease, and pulling her into one of my own," _don't. Touch. Me_. I _will_ get even."

I let go and she takes a step forward. I can smell her disgusting breath, because of how close she is. Like... wild boar. "You can't touch me, babe." She grins evily. "My dad's the god of war. I'd beat you in a fight any day."

"Doubtful," I mutter. Two of her friends snap up behind me and pin my arms behind my back.

"I'm Dianna, by the way," she whispers in my ear. I don't even bother trying to escape their grip. Dianna chuckles and flexes. "Like I said. Our father is the god of war. Resistance is futile."

Suddenly, I'm thinking of those Hellhounds, and how I wish a dozen of those were here, because_ they _could kick some butt. "Oh, Dianna? My mother is Nemisis. The goddess of revenge. And, since you were so kind to me, the least I could do is repay the favor. I think I can give you something that will help perfect your fake scream." I wink and drop to the ground, surprising the girls.

"Canum uis INFERNOS!" I scream at the top of my lungs. I drop to the fetal position, so I can't see what's haooening, but I can hear it. After I peek my head out a few minutes later, I see one of the three Hellhounds rolling Dianna's bloody body over, smelling it and snuffling her. "Back!" I demand. "Home! Domus! Uh... Inferos, I guess!" The dogs leave the girls alone, running into the trees.

I can now see that there was seven of them. Dianna got the worst of the deal, completely bloodied. "Help me," she moans. I cock my head to the side, leaning over her.

"It's not your time to die. Not yet. You'll all survive. For now." I stalk off into the woods, cackling. Not after long, Brenden rushes up to meet me. I can see the look on his face, asking me what happened, but I just chortle and continue walking.

"Oh, trust me. You'll know, eventually." I glance over at him. "So. A satyr?" He nods, daring me to make fun of him. "Cool."

I can honestly say, I believe this is the camp of the gods. And I believe I know who my father is.

**PLEASE REVIEW! I feel unloved :(**


	6. My Punishment

I'm laying on the floor of the Hermes cabin. Apparently, even though my mother told me she was Nemisis, I haven't officialy 'been claimed,' so whatever. She doesn't have a cabin, anyway, so.

"Ms. Robinson? You're needed at the Big House," Someone tells me, poking their head through the door. No one else even looks up. Well, I guess I should have expected this. I'm going to be punished for the thing with Dianna and her freaks.

I walk to the big house alone, taking my time, watching other campers play volleyball and basketball. My two favorite sports.

"Hello, Cecelia," Chiron says as I tentatively walk up the steps to the Big House. Dionysus doesn't even look, just waves his hand over the table and a can of Coca Cola appears. "Do you know why I've called you here?" He doesn't wait for me to answer.

"There's two reasons. I'll get the one you don't know about out of the way. Nemisis isn't your real mother. She was hired by your real godly parent to watch over you." My eyebrows fly up. "If she was your real mother, she would have claimed you by now, you wouldn't be at camp this young, and your scent would definetely not be so strong. Zeus and I have discussed who your father or mother really is, and the answer is not good. You studied Greek mythology in school with Ms. Amina, correct?"

"Yes, just last week." I shrug.

"Right. So, who would Nemisis do a favor like that for? Which god in the Council is she closest to?" He tilts his head to the side, waiting for me to figure it out. My eyebrows scrunch in confusion. "It's okay if you don't know. There is no proof, but it is what we believe. You will hopefully be claimed at the bonfire tonight. Do not share this conversation with anyone. Except perhaps Brenden."

Suddenly, a girl comes running up the steps. It's one of the girls from the Hellhound attack. "What's her punishment, Chiron? It better be something damn good, for all the trouble she gave us!"

Chiron sighs heavily. "Clarise, I'd prefer it if you kept the launguage to an age appropriate, twelve year old level. We haven't discussed the Hellhound incident yet."

"Then what the hell have you been talking about!" Clarise shouts. She reminds me of most of the girls from my school, except they're smaller and have better breath. I send a death glare over to her, and she doubles over. "Chiron!" She gasps.

"Cecelia!" Chiron snaps. I hold up my hands, removing my gaze from Clarise. She rises slowly. "Your abilities are out of control. Clarise, go back to your cabin."

As she's walking down the steps, Dionysus shouts, "And keep your mouth shut, for gods' sakes!" No, in a mumble, "The last thing we need is everyone knowing who your parent is before you're claimed."

"Dionysus, if she's claimed, we can't let anyone ever know. Aside from the children currently here. The prophecy..." He casts a sideways glance at the young god, who nods earnestly.

"I feel super out of the loop," I inform him. "What prophecy?"

"More on that when you're claimed, if we're correct. Now, for your punishment." He considers what I could od, then sees a girl on the volleyball field. "Annabeth!" A little girl, maybe eight or nine, runs over from the field. "Do you still need a sparing partner?"

The litte girl, Annabeth, nods eagerly. "Well, here she is! Annabeth, this is Cecelia, Cecelia, this is Annabeth. Now, off to training, you two."

**PLEASE REVIEW! I know I've been gone for a while, I'm so sorry about that, I was at summer camp. The more reviews I get, the faster I update! SO REVIEW!**


	7. Meeting Luke

Despite her age, which I discover is eight, Annabeth is an amazing fighter. I'd like to think that I can someday be as good. Probably not.

After sword-fighting nonstop for around two hours, I lean forward and rest my hands on my knees, dropping the blade on the ground. "Hold on," I gasp. "Gimme a minute. Not all of us are as good as you."

Her grey eyes sparkle with delight. We both go to sit down at the edge of the fighting arena, and not too long after, a boy that looks about my age jogs in, glancing around. When his eyes land on Annabeth, his face lights up. "Ann!" He shouts. "There you are!" He runs over and catches sight of me. He smiles crookedly and I feel myself blush below my hazel eyes, nothing in comparison to his dazzling blue ones. "Hello, I'm Luke." I shake his outstretched hand.

"I'm Cecelia." Am I seeing things, or did his eyes just get five times bigger? "Cece works, though." I smile for about half a second, then decide to get myself a water from the cooler about twenty feet away.

I see Annabeth hug Luke, and he laughs. Maybe he's her brother, they both have blonde hair, even though his is a little sandier. His face turns serious, and he begins to mumble about something or other. Annabeths smile is long gone, and her brow is creased in concentration. I realize that Luke looks sort of familiar. But from where...?

The answer comes to me quickly. He was in the Hermes cabin this afternoon with me. He gave me a Camp Half-Blood shirt and some shorts. So they're not siblings. Cool, maybe they know each other from home.

I walk back over, and as soon as Luke notices I'm within earshot, he shuts up. "Well, goodbye, Annabeth." He gives me a curt nod. "Nice to meet you, Cece." He hurries out, and I turn to Annabeth.

"How do you know him?" I ask.

She shrugs, her blonde hair glinting in the light. "Long story," she mumbles.

"I've got time." I throw her her sword. "Tell me while we practice."

So she does. Everything. About how she ran away from home, met another girl Thalia who's father is Zeus, and then they met Luke. They were on the run for a long time, until a satyr named Grover found them. "We were almost back at the camp, but there were so many of them," she says sadly, telling me of the monsters that were chasing them to the safe haven that was Camp Half-Blood.

"What happened?"

Annabeth bites her bottom lip and knocks my sword out of my hands. Again. "Thalia sacrificed herself for us. She tried to fight, but she was dying. Zeus turned her into a pine tree. It's the giant one, the one on Half-Blood Hill. It made the borders stronger."

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say.

She takes my sword and brings it and her own to the supply closet. "Lesson over," she sighs.


	8. Dinner

"Cece?" A kind voice murmurs.

My eyes snap open and I sit up quickly, blurring my vision. Huh. I fell asleep on the floor of the Hermes cabin after my lesson with Annabeth. Someone had put a blanket on me. I push it away and rub at my eyes, trying to see the person speaking to me. "Luke?" I mumble.

He laughs, and I grin. "Yeah, it's time for dinner." Dinner? But I was sword training with Annabeth only this morning, right after breakfast. The Dianna thing happened yesterday. Luke seems to see the confused expression on my face. "You slept through lunch," he explains.

"Dang," I breath, stretching. "Guess that means I won't be getting much sleep tonight."

Luke snorts. "I wasn't going to wake you up, but Chiron told me you had to be at campfire tonight, and I figured you wouldn't want to be there hungry."

One part of his explaination had caught my attention. "Chiron told you I had to be at the campfire? Why?"

His face darkened. "Yes. I'm the only one in this cabin that... Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm the only one that isn't afraid of you." He rises from his squatting position next to me and holds out his hand. I take it gingerly and he pulls me up.

"Why would they be afraid of me?" I whisper.

His face darkens further. "Not you, your parents. We have no idea who they could possibly be, but we have a fairly good guess about the father. And if we're correct, you shouldn't be here. You shouldn't exist."

"How do you _know _all of this?"

"Chiron trusts me. Dionysus... doesn't hate me." He smiles crookedly. "The old horse thinks I'm far too mature for my age." We begin to file out of the cabin to the dining pavilion.

"What a coincidence, that's what everyone thinks about me." I laugh lightly. "How old _are_ you, anyway?"

"Twelve."

"Ah." There's a beat of silence as we make our way to the ever-crowded Hermes table. He gestures for me to sit next to him, so I do. Well, this is better then sitting on the floor, like I did at breakfast. "Luke, who do they think my father is?"

Instead of going all dark-faced-goth-kid like earlier, Luke gives me a small smile. "I believe Chiron already went over this with you. Nemisis claimed to you she was your mother, for your true parent's sake. What god or goddess would Nemisis do that for? Revenge is a dark thing. I thought you'd've figured it out with the Hellhounds in the woods. Or the Latin! That was great. Chiron told me about it. Where did you learn? Or does it just come naturally?" The look of interest on his face is undeniable.

"Um..." I mumble. "I don't know Latin. It just sort of popped into my head. I don't even know what I said."

Luke chuckles. "That makes a lot of sense. The girls you attacked remembered every word. It's not every day you see someone summoning Hellhounds and then being able to send them back. You said canum uis infernos. It means 'dogs of hell' in Latin." My eyes widen, and he laughs. I realize then that he had been whispering.

"Wow," I breathe. "Well, 'spose I know who my dad is, then."

Luke shakes his head and laughs again at the confusion on my face. "We won't know for sure until the campfire."

**Thanks guys! Please review... :]**


	9. Being Claimed

**Day 3 of Being Crazy**

I'm sitting at the campfire squished between Luke and a girl from Aphrodite who was actually remotely nice to me. Her name is Fae. She played volleyball with me after dinner, and she doesn't look like a Valentine's Day parade threw up on her like the rest of Aphrodite's kids. I've actually noticed people are dressed like their parents, but I don't really think they do it on purpose.

The Hermes cabin mostly has Camp Half-Blood T-shirts on, and Aphrodite's freaks are like little pink monsters smothered in perfume. Apollo's kids have on an assortment of orange, yellow, and purely golden shirts and khakis on. Dionysus's twin sons both have on purple t-shirts and shorts. I have on a white T that says "REVENGE IS KEY FOR US NEMISIS TROUBLEMAKERS." It's sort of dorky, but it's fine. I also borrowed some black nail polish from one of the girls in the Ares cabin. I think any other color is way too girly, so everyone at school thought I was goth, but I just like the color. Any other color says things about people, but black is just calm and very whatever-ish.

The campfire is very summer-camp cliche, if you ignore the fact that the fire changes with our moods. Luke said we all get marshmellows, and I'm the only one not singing along to the songs. I'm really nervous to find out who my mother or father is. At this point, I just want a parent, because the two people I grew up with forever apparently have no blood relation. No big deal.

Right now the fire is about twenty feet high and glowing red, much brighter than any normal fire. I still think I'm insane, but I'm going to make the best of it, which includes making friends. So far I have Luke, Fae, and Annabeth. Not too shabby.

Luke just put his hand on my wrist. I feel a spark of electricity flying from his skin to mine, and I see the expression on his face mimicks mine. Then we just grin at each other for a moment. When I finally blink and snap out of it, Luke seems to realize what he was going to tell me in the first place. He flares his nostrils really quick, taking his hand off of mine, and clears his throat.

"The fire just turned orange, and Chiron is the biggest influence to it, so that means he's excited. Purple is excited," Luke explains. "He's probably going to get up to talk soon."

I nod and bite my lower lip. As Luke said, Chiron rises and all of the quiet murmurs stop. "As you know, we've had quite a few arrivals of unknown parentage this week," he begins. "We are hoping-"

He is suddenly interrupted by one of the Hermes girls screaming. Everyone looks over and I jump up, expecting some sort of threat. What I see is a girl about five people down from me being covered in a thin veil of green flames while a hammer appears in her hands. The Hephaestus cabin jumps up and cheers, while the girl who's on fire grins.

I see Chiron surpress a smile. "We are hoping for, well, more of that. I believe there are four campers besides Hennah who still need to be claimed." I figure Hennah is the Hepaestus girl. "Rhiannon... Cecelia... Jasmine... and Malcolm." Right as he's finishing, there's another glowing light coming from the Hermes area, but this one is pink. I automatically flinch away from it. I've never been a huge fan of the color pink.

A boy, Malcolm, I pressume, is glowing pink and his clothes are swirling and blending into a white tuxedo with a red rose already in the lapel. His hair gels itself back and he grins, looking himself over. A light pink heart hovers over his head, which a girl reaches up to grab, but it disperses into mist before her fingers can close around it. She blushes and he smiles, moving over to sit with Aphrodite's other kids.

Chiron's is clearly extatic. He clapses his hands together and grins. "Wonderful! That leaves three Half-Bloods to be claimed tonight. I can't promise anything, but you will all probably be claimed by the end of the camp fire. Luke, would you mind passing out the marshmellows?"

Luke grins, shakes his head, and trots over to the dining hall. He returns with six bags of the hugest marshmellows I have _ever_ seen. They are easily the size of both my fists, and when I get mine, I hold it awkwardly and look around for a stick. Luke finishes and sees my predicament, sliding quietly away so as not to be seen, then returns with two sticks from the woods. Chiron begins calling out cabin names to go get sticks, eyeing Luke and I suspiciously. I smile innocently at him.

I'm just standing up with Luke to roast my marshmellow when there's a collective gasp from the Hermes cabin. I realize with horror that they're all staring at me. Slowly, everyone's attention is turned to the girl who is quickly changing along with some of the ground around her. Me.

The first thing I'm aware of is the corset and long skirt of the black dress that my clothes stretch into. The top is strapless and slightly revealing, so I fold my arms over my chest. The bottom is a basic long black dress, and I feel my shoes dissapear completely. Then, the red cape flows from my neck to farther down then the dress, trailing along in the dirt. I'm aware of the dirt swirling around me and my hair going into an elaborate french braid-type of thing, but all I'm focusing on is the horror in all of the campers' eyes. Fae, the Aphrodite girl from earlier, drops something. I quickly pick it up, praying for a mirror. It is! One of those little compact mirrors that turns into a brush, but it will do. I flip it open and stare at my reflection, wondering who the girl staring back at me is. She has many layers of dark eyeliner around her eyes, going from her cheekbones to her eyebrows. Her blonde-brown hair has streaks of black and red in it, with little white clips occasionaly appearing in the braid. Without thinking, I throw the mirror into the fire.

The Earth stops churning around me, but what is there now is much worse. Six Hellhounds walking in a protective circle around me, skeletons on their back. I'm not talking about those cheesy fake skeletons you see everywhere around Halloween, but actual skeletons with clumps of hair on them, dirt on their bones, signs of decomposition, and their burial clothes. The whole thing seems to have stopped. I suppose I've been claimed.

**You guys should know that when I write a chapter, I have no idea what's going to happen in it. That's the beauty of the whole thing. I might stop this story if I don't get enough reviews, so please review! Thanks :)**


	10. Freezing Feet

**Day 4 of Having No Idea What's Going On**

I stand awkwardly as the skeletons hop off the Hellhounds and neil around me. Chiron seems to be frozen in a state of shock, along with everyone else. Well, Dionysus doesn't seem to be surprised at all, but I wouldn't have expected him to be. He just continues to chug his Diet Coke and roll his eyes every so often. Finally, Chiron clears his thoat.

"Cecelia, would you mind sending your... friends... back to where they came from? We have much to discuss." The look on his face is perfectly composed, and I debate quickly on what to do. Finally, I decide to follow instructions.

"Hellhounds, home statim! Populus mortuum, sequeris ut Hades!" The skeletons rise from their crouching positions at my feet and get on the Hellhounds. They run into the trees, dissapearing until they are nothing but a shadow. "Chiron, I, um, I'm-"

"Quite all right, Cecelia. We'll meet and discuss this after the campfire. For now, you can continue to sit with the Hermes cabin. That's okay, right?" Chiron asks. Most of them are still frozen, but Luke nods, the rest of his body still. I smile slightly and sit down, grabbing his hand on the way so he'll sit next to me. My touch seems to wake him up and he sits down stiffly beside me.

Rhiannon is later claimed by Apollo, shining so bright none of us could look at her. Jasmine is claimed by Hermes, a little envolope appearing in her hand that said, "Hello, daughter."

Everyone is very edgy, but I don't get why. There must be some other children of Hades here, right? My dress is making my arms cold, and I struggle to tug my cape around me tighter. Luke notices. He puts his heavy arm around my shoulder and pulls the cape father around my left side, pulling my right side closer to him. I remember the thick layers of eyeliner and eyeshadow on my face and try to avoid looking at him straight on.

Finally, Chiron dismisses us by cabin, leaving Hermes for last. "Luke, Cecelia, stay please," he says politely. I stand and remember my lack of shoes, cursing my father internally. But then, he's already damned to Hell for all of eternity, so.

"What's this about, Chiron? Her father is still a god. She has as much right to be here as any of us," Luke says, his arm still around me as we approach Chiron.

The old horse sighs and waves a hand dismissively. "Yes, but you know as well as I do the agreement made by the Big Three. This is not the first time it has been broken, but that doesn't make it any better. She must-"

"You would have let Thalia stay if she had survived!" Luke bursts. "Zeus, Hades, what's the difference?" There's a loud rumble of thunder. Luke throws his head back and seems to shout at the sky. "Thunder all you want, you know I'm right!"

"I suppose you are," Chiron admits stiffly. "But not past sixteen. She would have been... taken care of. Perhaps forced to join Artemis."

"Yes, so, why can't Cece do that? Artemis and Hades may have their differences, but surely she wouldn't keep any young maiden from life."

"I'm joining the conversation!" I declare cheerfully. "What do you mean, 'the agreement made by the Big Three'?"

They ignore me, not even looking in my direction. Chiron glares at Luke. "We still don't know who her mother is. What if it actually is Nemisis, and that is why she's so powerful? Then she will belong on Mount Olympus, not here with mere mortals."

"Yes, but until we know, wouldn't it be wise to keep her here? I mean, of course there are a few flaws to the plan, but what could go wrong?"

"I'll tell you what could go wrong! She could get angry over the slightest thing and massacre the entire camp! She could-"

"I _said_," I interrupt, my voice taking on a deep, booming quality, "What do you mean, 'the agreement made by the Big Three'? You are discussing me, and I understand that. You might want to tell me what I want to know, though, as well." I glare at them menacingly. "You told me that I could know about some prophecy once I was claimed. I want to know. _Now." _

They both stare at me for a moment. Finally, Chiron speaks up. "There was a prophecy made, long ago, about the next child of the Big Three gods. The Big Three are Poseidon, Zeus, and," he glances up at the sky then leans closer to me, "Hades." The ground shakes ever so slightly beneath my feet. "The prophecy said that when the next big three child turned sixteen, it would decide the fate of the world, whether the gods or the titans would win. You probably don't know much about the titans, but that's okay. The Big Three decided it was too dangerous to have any more children. They wiped out all of their kids already on the planet, and made a pact to never have any more. Therefore, _you_ should not be alive.

"This is the third time it has happened. The Big Three were behaving themselves nicely, but that never lasts long. Poseidon had a little girl, but on her fourth birthday she joined Artemis. Then, Zeus had Thalia, who turned into that pine tree on Half Blood Hill. Now we have you, the third victim of the prophecy."

"Jesus, sounds like a soap opera to me," I mumble. Luke chuckles.

"You haven't even heard Aphrodite's story yet," he says under his breath. A shadow of a smile appears on Chiron's face.

"Uhm, well, my feet are sort of freezing, so can we get this show on the road?" I say uncomfortably. I hitch up my dress so it doesn't drag too much and they seem to notice for the first time that I'm shoeless.

"Luke," Chiron sighs, "help her wash off the makeup, if possible. If not, at least get her some more clothes from the camp store."

I had mostly stopped listening after_ 'if possible'_. "What do you mean, 'if possible'? I might have to keep this crap on for- for- how long?"

" With claimings like yours where the clothes and hair and face all change, the amount of time it stays is unpredictable. Malcolm will probably stay the same for a few days as well. You can usually change, though." Chiron's eyebrows pull together. "Of course, I don't have recent experience with claimings of your parentage. Goodnight," he bows carefully and trots to the Big House.

"If this doesn't come off," I inform Luke, "somebody's going to die tonight."

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